Im having a great time talking to all the awesome students at the USC Access and Wellness Expo for Mental Health Week... USC is such a progressive Uni... the Uni Club facilitate a huge range of services to help students get through their studies with their sanity intact! Its so great to be able to talk to fellow students about meditation... its such an amazing tool for de-stressing, but even more amazing, did you know it can help make students smarter, be more effective with their time management and avoid the pitfalls of anxiety and other stress related illnesses.

So, to celebrate student access to wellness and holistic health whilst noses are in the books... here's a few tips for stress management for you to have a go at in the lead up to exams.

FOR STUDY SESSIONSUse essential oils in a vaporiser or spritzer when you sit down to study, and during when you feel your concentration is sliding!

Colour is an awesome stress reliever and can enhance your memory if you use specific coloured pens and stationary for specific subjects... eg. Chem is red, pathophys is green. Then use these same colours for the exam... your brain will recognise it as a trigger to tap into the info you need for your exam paper.

Yellow -Yellow enhances concentration

orange - balances emotions and stress

Green - calming and refreshing

Science has proven that taking regular breaks increases productivity and concentration. Take regular breaks every 20 minutes, stretch, drink a glass of water (brain dehydration makes study difficult) and do a quick Head Space meditation to refresh your mindset.

Repeat after me... MULTITASKING IS THE ENEMY!!! Contrary to popular belief, multitasking makes you less efficient. When you split your focus from one task to another frequently, everytime you move back to the original task it takes around 15 minute for your brain to re-engage where it left of. So if you do 4 tasks during an hour, you actually lose an hour of productivity...EEEK! Rather, choose one topic for a set period of time. When you reach the end of that study block, meditate for a few minutes before switching subjects.

FOR EXAMSEssential oils... inhale these before and during your exams. I add a few drops to a couple of tissues which I keep in my pocket in an exam

Rosemary – memory & concentration

Lavender – relieve headaches, aids relaxation & calm

Citrus - mood lift and aids communication, dissolve fatigue

Rescue Remedy / Emergency Essence are homoeopathic preparations that can be used to clear your mind, alleviate anxiety and decrease stress. Take continuously 24 hours prior to exam and during exam.

Carry your crystals with you into your exam to trigger calm, and help your brain recall information.

As always, use your Head Space mini meditations throughout the lead up to exams, then meditate half hour before using mindfulness techniques to clear your headspace, then visualisation to see yourself successful and breezing through your exam easily.

Excuse me, I just 'blogged'!

Kristy Lee Rackham

Sunshine Coast, Australia

Full time parent, part-time nursing student, writer, key-note speaker, facilitator, entrepreneur... I subscribe to the belief that if you're clever with your time and where you put your energy, you CAN have the cake and eat it too! Still working on what flavour to make the cake though!
My passion is creating... creating anything, in any form makes me happy! My goal is to lead my children (and others!) by example... its a big task and Im learning so much about myself through their eyes. As they grow, so do I! Most importantly, I want to show them that if you have a dream, you can achieve it with a bit of dedication, discipline, guts and a belief that anything is possible. So I guess that I want to teach them to create as well... create their own destiny!
Email me at headspacebook@gmail.com, I'd love to hear from you.